East Hartford Gets Grant To Assess Blighted Housing Complex

EAST HARTFORD — A $175,000 brownfields grant from the state Department of Economic and Community Development was awarded to the town this week to help demolish a vacant public housing development on Burnside Avenue.

The money will be used to assess the presence of asbestos and lead and to test soil at the Daley complex, 590 Burnside Ave., said Eileen Buckheit, director of the town's department of development.

"We would look at the results and determine a course of action after that," she said Wednesday.

Ultimately, the goal is to demolish Daley Court, which was built in 1961 by the housing authority and has been vacant for more than 12 years.

Redeveloping the property has been a goal since the 1990s, town officials said.

"We are committed to strengthening the Burnside Avenue commercial corridor and this is a positive step toward that end," Mayor Marcia Leclerc said.

The town was among 11 municipalities to receive a portion of $1.69 million from the state. The grant will cover the cost of assessment and potential demolition of Daley Court.

Citing the high cost of running the 30 garden-style apartments at the complex, the housing authority decided to close the complex at the end of 2000. The small apartments were difficult to market and the utility costs were high, officials said at the time.